From Political Wire:...In their special election edition, Newsweek reports that Gov. Sarah Palin's "shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy."

"One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family -- clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill."

"Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent 'tens of thousands' more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide ... said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books."

Kenya declared a national holiday after Barack Obama's election as the first black U.S. president, to commemorate the fact his father was born in the African country, Agence France-Presse reported.

``This is a momentous day not only in the history of the United States of America, but also for us in Kenya,'' President Mwai Kibaki said in a statement, according to AFP. ``The victory of Senator Obama is our own victory because of his roots here in Kenya. As a country, we are full of pride for his success.''

Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr., was born in Kenya and left the president-elect's mother two years after his son was born. Obama met him once after that and his father died in a car accident in 1982. Obama's first book was titled ``Dreams From My Father.''

From the New Yorker:...One night, Ayers recalled, he and Dohrn were watching Bill O’Reilly, who was going on about “discovering” Ayers’s 1974 manifesto, “Prairie Fire.” “I had to laugh,” Ayers said. “No one read it when it was first issued!” He said that he laughed, too, when he listened to Sarah Palin’s descriptions of Obama “palling around with terrorists.” In fact, Ayers said that he knew Obama only slightly: “I think my relationship with Obama was probably like that of thousands of others in Chicago and, like millions and millions of others, I wished I knew him better.”

Ayers said that while he hasn’t been bothered by the many threats—“and I’m not complaining”—the calls and e-mails he has received have been “pretty intense.” “I got two threats in one day on the Internet,” he said, referring to an incident that took place last summer when he was sitting in his office at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where he has taught education for two decades. “The first one said there was a posse coming to shoot me, and the second said they were going to kidnap me and water-board me. This friend of mine, a university cop, said, ‘Gosh, I hope the guy who’s coming to shoot you gets here first...’”

From Political Wire:7 p.m. -- Polls close in Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. If Virginia is called quickly for Obama, it means he likely wins the presidential race and Democrats across the country will have a huge night. If it's not called early, it's could be an indication that white undecided voters are breaking to McCain. Prepare for an hour long discussion of the "Bradley effect." If Georgia or Indiana are called early for Obama, it's a leading indicator for a landslide. In Kentucky, all eyes are on the fate of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

7:30 p.m. -- Polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.Obama victories in North Carolina or Ohio likely seal the deal for him. An Obama win in West Virginia means start looking for Obama coattails in close House and Senate races.

8:00 p.m. -- Polls close in Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. If Pennsylvania is called early for Obama, McCain cannot win. His only real path to the presidency at this point requires he win the Keystone State. An Obama win in Missouri once again means a likely landslide in the electoral college.

9:00 p.m. -- Polls close in Colorado and New Mexico. Polls indicate both of these swing states should go to Obama. Early calls in each state will have Obama racking up electoral votes quickly.

10:00 p.m. -- Polls close in Iowa, Montana, and Nevada. If Obama wins in Montana and Nevada, we're looking at a possible political realignment of the Mountain West of the United States.

11:00 p.m. -- Polls close in California and North Dakota. California is the biggest state of them all with 55 electoral votes and may put Obama over the top. If the election hasn't been decided by now, it's probably become an interesting night for the McCain campaign and Republicans. However, an Obama win in North Dakota means we're witnessing a landslide.

Joan Walsh in Salon:...In Reno, Nevada, Sarah Palin just told the crowd about John McCain, "Send him on his last mission!" That sounded so creepy to me, and I didn't think I'd heard her say it before. Googled it; no results, though McCain himself has made reference to a "last mission." If they're elected, trust me, McCain will need a food taster. What is she thinking? Or is it just me? Meanwhile, Joe Biden was on fire in Philadelphia, very moving.

We know today has been video-heavy, but this one, THIS ONE is the ticket, right here. A black fellow tells Sarah Palin that he is the only minority at her rally and asks how this can be improved upon. Palin replies that she knows what racism is like, because Todd is native Alaskan and, get this, “We live it.” Oh gosh golly, do we really only have a matter of hours left with this nut? [CNN iReport via Ben Smith]

"The mood here is like a cup final where your team is ahead with a few minutes to go. Those last few minutes seem to take forever. So near and yet so far. You overreact to every little event on the pitch as the time drags on. You scream manically at the referee to blow the whistle. Right now, Democrats are in that position. They just want it to be over now. But deep down, they don't really think that they will throw this one away."

"Perhaps the most ill-timed press release of the 2008 campaign arrived shortly after 1:30 p.m. today, sent by the Republican National Committee.

The release forwarded word that the California Republican Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, in part because of a visit Sen. Barack Obama made to his dying grandmother.

" 'Obama for America violated federal law by converting its campaign funds to Senator Obama's personal use," the release stated. "Senator Obama recently traveled to Hawaii to visit his sick grandmother. This was the right thing for any grandson to do -- at his own expense -- but it was not travel that his campaign may fund." [...]

My brother Kevin has been volunteering for the Obama campaign in Boulder and sent me this video of "the coolest old dude" who's also been volunteering there. I've got tears running down my face having just watched the clip a second time:

Update: it seems that Charles has been choking people up all over the interwebs--Salon's editor just posted the above clip along with this lovely video of Obama getting to know the daily work routine of a home health aide:

I'm not sure what to make of this music choice: As noted in MoDo's recent column, Sarah Palin appeared at a York PA rally last Friday to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." OK it was Halloween but still.

It's close To Midnight and Something Evil's Lurking in The Dark.Under The Moonlight, You See A Sight That Almost Stops Your Heart.You Try To Scream, But Terror Takes The Sound Before You Make It.You Start To Freeze, As Horror Looks You Right Between The Eyes,You're Paralyzed

You Hear The Door Slam, And Realize There's Nowhere Left To Run.You Feel The Cold Hold, And Wonder If You'll Ever See The SunYou Close Your Eyes, And Hope That This Is Just Imagination, girlBut All The While, You Hear The Creature Creepin' Up BehindYou're Out Of Time

They're Out to Get You, There's Demons Closing In On Every Side.They Will Possess You, Unless You Change The Number On Your Dial.Now Is the Time for You and I to Cuddle Close Together dear.All Thru The Night, I'll Save You From The Terror On The Screen,I'll Make You See

Darkness Falls Across The Land, The Midnight Hour Is Close At Hand.Creatures Crawl In Search Of Blood To Terrorize Yours NeighborhoodAnd Whosoever Shall Be Found Without The Soul For Getting DownMust Stand And Face The Hounds Of Hell, And Rot Inside A Corpse's Shell.

The Foulest Stench Is In The Air The Funk Of Forty Thousand YearsAnd Grizzly Ghouls From Every Tomb Are Closing In To Seal Your DoomAnd Though You Fight To Stay Alive Your Body Starts To ShiverFor No Mere Mortal Can Resist The Evil Of The Thriller

'Cause this Is Thriller, Diller Nightand No-ones Gonna Save You from the Beast about Strike.You Know its Thriller, chiller NightYou're fighting for Your Life inside a Killer, Thriller.

Thriller, Diller Night'Cause I can thrill you More Than Any Ghoul Could ever dare try. (Thriller, Diller Night)So Let Me Hold You Tight And Share A Killer Diller Chiller,Thriller Here Tonight.

'Cause this Is Thriller Diller nightgirl I Can Thrill You More Than Any Ghoul Could ever dare tryAny Ghoul could ever Dare Try(Thriller, Diller Night) So Let Me Hold You Tight and Share a Killer thriller.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Translation Notes:- The first man on the call (introducing Sarkozy) presents himself as "Frank L'Ouvrier": Frank The Worker.

- When he talks about going hunting by helicopter, and says "like we say in French, 'On pourrait tuer des bébés phoques aussi': "We could kill some baby seals, too".

- He asks her if she has met the prime minister of Quebec, "Richard Z. Sirois" (instead of Jean Charest) : Richard Z. Sirois was one of the well-known comedians of "Rock et Belles Oreilles", a French Canadian comedy group (started in 1981, dissolved in 1995). Sirois is now co-host of the show "Les cerveaux de l'info" at that radio station.

- When he says that his wife singer Carla Bruni wrote a song for her, he says "In French it's called "Du rouge à lèvres sur une cochonne" or if you prefer in English - and he sings - "Joe The Plumber.. it's his life, Joe The Plumber": the French means "Lipstick on a pig" -- ....but "cochonne", the feminine of "cochon" - pig, is largely used for "dirty girl" (sexual connotation).

“It’s not that Wright makes outrageous sermons, it’s that Jeremiah Wright is a black liberal theology preacher. And 20 years of association means he must agree with the Marxist theology of black liberation theology,” he said of Obama...